Tab of guide cards for card indexes and the like



Apr. 10, 1923. 1,451,214

M. GOITRE TAB OF GUIDE CARDS- FOR CARD INDEXES AND THE LIKE Original Filed Apr. is, 1921 2 sheets-sheet i 'A r. 10, 1923. 1,45i,z14 M. GOITRE TAB OF GUIDE'CARDS FOR CARD INDEXES AND THE LIKE 2 sheets-sheet 2 Original Filed Apr. 16, 1921 Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

UNI 11 MARIO GOITRE, OF TURIN, ITALY.

TAB OF GUIDE CARDS FOR CARD INDEXES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed April 16, 1921, Serial No. 461,824. Renewed September 5, 1922. Serial No. 586,356.

T 0 all whom it may 0.0mm

Be it known that I, MARIO Golrnn, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tabs of Guide Cards for Card Indexes and the like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to improvements to th form and disposition of the ilsalbs of guide cards for card index and the In accordance with the present invention, the tabs of the principal guide cards, corresponding with the first letter or initial sign of a word or symbol, have a constant determined given width, equal for instance to double the size of a modulus or unitof a pre-established measure, and are all placed on the same row parallel with the sides of the card index.

The tabs of the secondary guide cards c0rrespondin with the successive letters and signs destined to compose with the initial letter or sign, a given word or symbol, all initiat and start from the middle of the tab of the initial letter and they extender are amplified by regular gradation towards the'right, by an amount equal to two,three, four, etc., times the modulus of measure, according as the letter or sign which they indicate is the second, the third, the fourth,

etc., letter or sign of the word or symbol destined to be composed with the initial one. Besides this, every secondary tab carries, at intervals equal to the modulus of measure, and starting from the left edge which is placed in alinement with the middle of the tab of the initial letter, clearly visible signs, made for instance by notches cut on the upper edge of the tab, which will be found equal in number on any given tab to the number representing the order of the tab, less one. The number of these notches serves to indicate the position after the initial letter indicated by the" above mentioned initial tab, of the letter on the secondary tab, in the word or-symbol destined to be composed withthe initial letter or sign.

Sometimes in order to file a number of index cards in a given space in the card index, guide cards are inserted bearing tabs for one or more complete words or symbols. In such a case the tab of the relative guide card, always proceeding from the middle of the tab of the initial letter, is extended to the point of reaching at least the extreme length of the secondary tabs, while to distinguish it from the latterits upper edge does not bear any notches.

To give a clear idea of the present invention a form-of execution of the object of the same is diagrammatically illustrated, by way of example only, on the annexed drawing, in which: Fig.,-1 shows the whole of the guide cards of a part of a card index with tabs in conformity with the present invention; Figure 2- shows the amplification of a portion of the preceding card index.

As shown in Figure 1-, the tabs 1- of the principal guide cards bearing the initial letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, of a word or symbol, have a constant-width equal for instance to twice the size of the modulus or unit of pre-established measure. These tabs are then all placed on the same row parallel with the sides of the card index, in the drawing they are seen adjacent to the left side of the same.

Among th principal guide cards corresponding with the above mentioned initial letter, there are interspaced as usual, one or more secondary guide cards-corresponding with the first'letter of the nominative after the initial one, and so on, while between the whole of the several guide cards the cards 11 may be conveniently inserted.

To fix ones ideas the better, it'is as well to consider the "secondary guide cards inserted between the principal ones, corresponding with the initial C and D; Before all it must be observed that the tabs of the secondary guide cards have all their initial starting point from the middle of the tabs lof the principal guidecards and extend in a graduated scale towards the right to an extent equal to two, three, four, etc. times the modulus of measure, according as they correspond with the first, second, third, etc. letter of the nominative after the initial one. In fact thesecondary tabs.-2- corresponding to the first letterof the nominative after the initial letters such as those marked A, E, O, B, after the initial letter C have an extent equalto twice the modulus.

Those marked 3 corresponding with the second "letter of the nominative after the initial one, M, S, V, R, M, I, have an extent equal to: three times the modulus. Those marked 4 corresponding with the third letter of the nominative after the initial letter, C, have an extent equal to four times the modulus. These marked 5 corresponding with the fourth letter of the nounnative after the initial letter, 0, have an extent equal to five times the modulus. And so on. These secondary tabs clearly show one, two, three, etc., signs formed for instance with notches -12-, cut on the upper edge of the tab at equal distances to a modulus, starting from'the left edge, according asthey correspond to the first, second, third, etc., letter of the word after the initial. These notches serve at the same time to indi'cate at once the position occupied by the letter signed on the tab, in the nominative composed of the preceding initial letter.

Owing to this arrangement it become easy even in a complicated card index, looking from left to right to the top, and mentally forming the word with the letters signed on the several tabs, keeping in mind the position of such letters indicated by the notches marked on the tabs, immediately to fix the point where the index card l1, corresponding with a given nominative must be inserted or found. Thus with the nominative Campiglia the position between Gamp and Campo is found immediately; for the nominative Campobasso the position between Campo and Cas, is found immediately. And so forth.

This new type of tabs of guide cards also allows, without any change being required in. the existing guide cards, unlimited amplification of detail in a given index, which is not possible with usual guide cards, where the tabs of the different guide cards, have in fact a zig-zag arrangement for which reason any amplification whatever requires the dis placement of the tabs, involving the substitution for the existing guide -cards of others, having the tab in a suitable position.

Such a possibility of amplification is shown as an example in Figure -2, which illustrates an amplification of the space l3 of the card index in Figure 1, which space comprehends the letter F, as an initial and the letter I, as the first letter after the initial one. From this Figure 2 the result is seen that all the guide cards with their relative tabs shown in Figure 1- have been preserved, besides between the several guide cards; several amplification have been made. The first amplification effected was between FA, and FE. In this first amplification the case is contemplated that a number of nominatives have been presented such as Farmacia, for which it would be useful to insert a guide card bean ing a tab -6 with such a nominative in full. This tab starting as usual from the middle of the tab of the initial F, is extended sideways to the right for an extension not less than the greatest width of the secondary tabs; to distinguish it from the latter, such a tab does not show or bear on the upper edge any notch or sign whatever.

l/Vhen the different nominatives in Farmacia have to be divided by a successive nominative, as for instance the proprietors name, in correspondence with this nominative may be initiated an alphabetical and secondary classification by suitable guide cards; whose principal tabs of the initial letters 7, always having the width of two times the modulus are placed according to a row parallel with the sides of the card index, but displaced with regard to the row according to which the principal tabs of the initial letter 1, are placed with regard to the primary classification.

In the amplification between Fer, and Feri, the example has been shown of a number of nominatives Ferrero, corresponding to which is disposed a guide card with tab 8 bearing in full the above mentioned nominative. Even here if an ulterior subdivision according to the Christian name is necessary, a secondary classification may be initiated by means of suitable guide cards bearing tabs for initial letters. 9, with the relative secondary tabs 10- extending gradually to the right, and with interposed guide cards having tabs with the name in full, as Antonio 14, Giuseppe l5- etc. If an ulterior subdivision is required, for instance, for towns, is possible to initiate, always more towards the right on the card index, a third classification having guide cards with initialtabs 1 6, always two times the modulus in width, placed on the same row parallel with the sides of the card index, but displaced towards the right with regard to the corresponding initial tabs of the first and secondary classification. Even in the third classification, subdivisions may be effected by means of secondary tabs 17-, 18, for the first, second, etc. letters after the initial one, and also guide cards may be inserted with tabs for nominatives in full l9, as Torino.

From the foregoing it is seen how the amplification of theorig'inal card index-may be effected either by simply amplifying the primary classification, or by inserting secondary and tertiary classifications, but applied according the same methods,without' any change being made in the primary classi fication.

It is evident that the above described ex amples are given solely to expl ain and not to limit definitely, and thattherefore thepres- I but that without departing from the principles above explained the invention may comprise any variation required or considered necessary or advantageous in practice.

I claim:

1. An improved arrangement and conformation of the tabs of the guide cards for card index and the like, comprising tabs corresponding with the first letter or initial sign of a word or symbol and having a determinate and unchanging width, equal to twice the size of a modulus or unit of a preestablished measure, and all arranged on the same row parallel to the sides of the card index ;the tabs of the secondary guide cards, corresponding with the successive letters or signs, destined to compose with-the initial letter or sign a given word or symbol, all having their initiative departure from the middle of the tab of the initial letter and extending gradually towards the right toan extent equal to two, three, four, etc., times the modulus, according as the letter or sign that they indicate is the second, the third, the fourth, etc. letter or sign of the word or symbol destined to be composed with the initial letter ;the secondary tabs each bearing at intervals equal to the modulus and starting from the left edge placed according to the middle of the tab of the initial letter, clearly visible signs on the upper edge of the tab, which indicate multiples of the modulus and serve to indicate the position, after the initial, of the letter borne by each tab ;the tabs of words or complete symbols always starting from the middle of the principal tabs of initial letters and extending sideways to the right to reach at least the length of the secondary tabs.

2. An improved multiple arrangement and conformation of the tabs of the guide primary guide cards having tabs of a width equal to twice the size of a modulus of a preestablished measure arranged in a row parallel to the side of the card index, and secondary guide cards having tabs starting from the middle of the tabs of the primary guide cards and extending towards the right in multiples of the modulus.

4. A card index comprising a plurality of primary guide cards having tabs of a width equal to twice the size of a modulus of a preestablished measure arranged in a row parallel to the side of the card index, and secondary guide cards having tabs starting from the middle of the tabs of the primary guide cards and extending towards the right in multiples of the modulus said secondary tabs bearing visible signs at intervals equal to the modulus.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

MARIO GOITRE. 

